Hey there! Just a friendly reminder/PSA from your friendly neighborhood Pixiemage!
“Dead Dove: Do Not Eat” is too often (incorrectly) used as a cover-all tag, on fics ranging from Vaguely Uncomfortable to Serious Shit, as a replacement for any intense tags relating to the story. People will use it to say “Holy shit guys some INTENSE SHIT happens in this story” without actually saying what that Intense Shit™ is.
In actuality, the “Dead Dove” tag is meant to be used in addition to other warning tags. Pulled from a scene from the show Arrested Development (look it up on YouTube!), it means “Hi! Hey! I labeled this fic to warn you of what’s in it, so you might REALLY want to read those labels! This fic is exactly what it says on the tin! The tags are accurate! Don’t say I didn’t warn you, because this is me warning you! Read the tags!”
So before you accidentally use the “Dead Dove: Do Not Eat” tag without context, here’s your preemptive lesson for next time. Please tag your fics accordingly! Ta!
Are you thinking about donating a kidney? Please consider my partner, Tink Fairfeather, for your donation!
They currently have polycystic kidney disease/total renal failure and has been looking for a donor since their diagnosis in October 2020.
"Polycystic Kidney Disease causes the kidneys to develop innumerable cysts, hampering the ability for the kidneys to function. This includes create new blood, remove toxins, and balance the body's energy production. Tink's kidneys no longer function and they have been on Peritoneal Dialysis since November, 2023. The only treatment beyond dialysis would be receiving a kidney transplant. Tink is looking for a donor whose blood type is O+ or O-. To see if you're compatible go to http://wexnermedical.osu.edu/kidneydonor."
Please share this post or consider visiting their Linktree for more information!
Kidney for Tink Fairfeather, friendly moth of the furry fandom. they/them, 32
Ryoko Kui draws fat people with tenderness, honesty, and dignity in a way I've never seen before from other manga and anime. She's not afraid to draw people like me the way I look with the same care and respect she does all her characters.
With Tamagotchi's original launch in 1996, then Digital Monsters in 1997, Bandai and Wiz released Magical Witches in 1998!
While Tamagotchi were based on eggs, and Digital Monsters on cages, the Magical Witches v-pet is shaped like a book, cover and all!
Just like the original lines of Tamagotchi and Digimon, Kenji Watanabe was also the designer for the Magical Witches. Besides going through different stages, the Witches were also divided into four different clans each representing a different magical element. Which tribe of Witches you would raise depends on the version of the v-pet you have.
The clans and their respective magic are as follows:
Eneruge, who specialize in fire magic, Earthlin, who specialize in Earth magic, Baluluna, who specialize in wind magic, and Aquary, who specialize in water magic.
As your Witch grows, it can study other elements of magic! They cannot learn their opposite element until Gen 4 (and master it by Gen 5). So a Eneruge Witch has to learn Earthlin and/or Baluluna magic before they can learn Aquary magic.
[images from gotchi-garden]
Unfortunately this franchise never took off, and no further lines were created past the original line up. The toys are now quite the rare find and any online listings are super expensive.
But part of the franchise lives on within the Digimon franchise!
The Land of Witchelny is now portrayed as another dimension, so to speak, another layer to the Digital World we know. According to offcial DigimonWeb profiles, the land is ruled by elders of each clan and three sages that lead a council governing the clans.
Witchelny is split into four blocks for each cardinal direction, each occupied by a clan, and in the center lies Mount Brocken. On the top of Mount Brocken, the clans have established a joint magic school. Those who master magic (advanced programming language) at said magic school, move on to travel to the Digital World we know.
Here is a list of Digimon, who have been confirmed to have come from Witchelny: Wizardmon /X (master of fire and earth magic), FlareWizardmon (master of fire magic), Sorcerymon (master of light and ice magic), Witchmon (master of wind and water magic), Mistymon (master of various magics, of which fire is its forte), MedievalGallantmon (a legendary hero, who protected Witchelny in ancient times) and Wisemon (born in a magic-less region of Witchelny).
Furthermore, Hexeblaumon is a Digimon that came to Witchelny from the Digital World, and mastered ice magic there.
On the Option Card, Absolute Blast, which features HexeBlaumon, you can also see the symbol of Aquary!
Absolute Blast BT5-097 by Shin Sasaki from BT-05 Booster Battle of Omni
Comparing the original Magical Witches evolutionary charts to the what magic we know these Digimon to be proficient in, we can make some possible connections.
Wizardmon being a master of fire and earth magic, and Witchmon being a master of water and wind magic, these original Witches line up with their abilities.
However with official artwork, such as the one below, portaying fire and water magic as their respective specialties, I believe the top sprites would be more likely.
With Mistymon being proficient in all magic, only the "Soul" type of Witch applies, which is the same in all clans.
I find this stuff super interesting! But wait... doesn't that one face look familiar...?
SATAN?!
If you are interested in Magical Witches, I recommend you check out gotchi-garden! They have a very detailed coverage on these.
Also shoutout to @/MagicLad_Ty on twitter who first brought these to my attention!
In 1996 Bandai and WiZ inc. released the original Tamagotchi. To their surprise, the toy proved to be popular among boys as well, despite it being mostly marketed for girls. And in 1997, as a more targeted approach to this demographic, Digital Monsters was born!
A huge virtual pet boom followed and not only did Bandai and Wiz release new versions of Tamagotchi and Digital Monsters, and try multiple v-pets with a variety of styles within the next couple of years, but other companies also tried to bandwagon on the success of these virtual pets!
(Such as Nintendo in 1998 with the Pocket Pikachu-)
While the Tamagotchi was shaped like an egg (jap. tamago) with a crack in its shell where the screen is, the Digital Monster was shaped like a brick cage with bust-open bars! It also featured the ability to connect and battle! Otherwise they both use the same three button layout and similar menu icons. On the Tamagotchi, the toilet icon is portrayed by a duck themed potty, which is also used as the look for the Portable Potty items in many Digimon games.
Now with how closely these two franchises were developed, there's bound to be more that connects the two, right?
One such thing is Tamagotchimoji and Digimoji/DigiCode!
You can see that the two scripts are basically identical, just stylized differently. While Tamagotchimoji got used sparsely until they stopped using it in 2004 (But had a surprising comeback in one social media post on April 10, 2023?!), Digimoji has been used, and still is being used everywhere in the Digimon franchise! There is also a separate set of characters for the Latin Alphabet.
[Tamagotchimoji on the left, Digimoji on the right, respective Hiragana above the character]
Just like we know it from the Digimon Franchise, the Tamagotchi also grow through evolutionary stages along a branching path, depending on how well you take care of them! The original line of Tamagotchi as well as Digimon owe their designs to Kenji Watanabe! Generally all Tamagotchi's names end in "-tchi" or "-chi", similar to how Digimon names end in "-mon".
In these evolution charts, the Tamagotchi and Digimon are arranged by how well they've been taken care of / how good they are, with the top line being the best, and the bottom being the worst.
But that Tamagotchi chart is actually just the international version, which had "Bill" (aka Gaijintchi/Ketotchi) as secret character past the adult stage. Instead the Japanese version featured "Oyajitchi" (jap. oyaji means "old man").
But wait, doesn't that face look familiar...?
According to the Digimon Reference Book, Nanimon's true identity is unknown and it in fact came from another dimension, where it was known under the title OYAJI. In order to survive in the new environment of the Digital World, Nanimon had to go through a lot of training and battling.
Nanimon's name is also a play on its bizarre nature. In Japanese, "nanimon" is a casual abbreviation of "nanimono" which means "what (thing)". So, with intonation indicating a question, "nanimonda" can mean both "What are you?" or "I am Nanimon".
This joke is even included directly in Digimon World when the player encounters Nanimon.
「ん？なにもんだ？！」 "N? Nanimon da?!" “Huh? What are you?!”
「ナニモンだァ！」 "Nanimon da!" “I’m Nanimon!”
Nanimon's nature as an alien to this World is also reflected in his trait in the Card Game being "Invader".
Nanimon BT6-058 by Kenji Watanabe from BT-06 Booster Double Diamond
So yeah, Nanimon is supposed to be Oyajitchi who came from the Tamagotchi World to the Digital World.
Stay tuned for next friday when we talk about another World connected to the Digital World!
Special thanks to: tamagotchi wiki, gotchi-garden and tamatalk for being great resources!
If you're interested in more Tamagotchi stuff, go check out @tamapalace !
aka the most overdue post on my blog. I have been struggling with getting a basic recipe and guide out because it’s such an important, useful, tool that can go overlooked and I want to get it right. I’ve decided to go ahead and publish the copy from the pages i’ve written on it since I’m 2 years late on my cookbook. I promise it’s coming! I have page layouts and everything - i’m sad i had to put it on pause so consider this a sneak peek and a very long post. hope you like it!
Disclaimer ⛔
The idea here is that the original recipe isn’t safe for consumption but those ingredients are what make it so effective. So it can be wise to have two different batches working. The classic which is toxic - for external work, and a modified recipe that can be ingested. Make sure you keep these properly marked and away from each other.
Uses 🧽
As a seasoning in food
As a daily supplement
Cleansing Baths
Floor Washes
Protection Work
Repelling negativity
History 📚
The history behind Four Thieves is elusive- There’s a possible confusion of names. Richard Forthave, a man said to have allegedly concocted and sold the vinegar as a medicine. The name being transformed over time from Forthave’s to Four Thieves. Then there are the more classic tales of thieves ranging from four to four hundred, employing it as a pesticide and cologne during the plague. Regardless of it’s origins, it was highly effective. It’s prolific history has made it a staple in folklore and practices around the world to protect oneself from illness and malevolence.
One tradition I personally enjoy when crafting your own is adding a new personal ingredient to a batch. Your own contribution as a “thief” to the ever-growing folklore. Customize your vinegar to your own needs! For example, I add turmeric for it’s anti-inflammatory properties as well as it’s energetic and positive correspondences
Recipes 📃
🌙 Thieves Vinegar #1 [edible Base recipe]
- Rosemary (protection)
- Sage or Sage Flowers (cleansing)
- Lavender Flowers (cleansing and calming)
- Garlic (Protection)
- Bruised Cloves (Protection)
- Strong Distilled Vinegar (Cleansing)
Method:
1. Sanitize and cleanse your tools with the method of your choice. Wash and dry your herbs.
2. Take the carving tool and in the head of garlic write your name and the names of the people in your home if you so wish. You can also make this for others, using their name. Think about all negativity and unwanted energy leaving the space as protection fills the area like the aroma of the garlic.
Place the entire head of garlic in your jar.
3. Take your cloves, and give them a smash with the flat side of a knife, or use a mortal and pestle to gently crush them while keeping them whole. You can also take any heavy object to them while they’re in a plastic bag/under parchment paper if these aren’t available to you.
Maintain the same thoughts of protection as the garlic while crushing and adding the cloves.
4. Add the rosemary, sage, and any other desired edible herbs with a clear mind, thinking of a clean protected space, having the utmost confidence in it.
5. Fill jar with vinegar knowing you’re surrounded by clean, positive, and sanitary energy.
6. Let the jar work either in the sun or in any cleansed space for a week to 3 months.
7. Shake occasionally.
8. Strain and store in sanitized glass container of your choice.
Method:
1. Fill jar or bottle with ingredients in an eye pleasing manner
2. Top with vinegar
3. Display in the kitchen, the place in the home with the most activity or where you feel you need it the most
☠ Thieves Vinegar #3 [non-ingestible]
-Thieves Vinegar #1
Your choice of ingredients like:
- Black Peppercorns, Chili Pepper, Rose, Wormwood*, Meadowsweet, Thyme, Ginger, Turmeric, Angelica*, Horehound*, Marjoram, Rue*
Method:
1. Follow same method as Thieves Vinegar #1
*IF CHILI IS ADDED DO NOT BATHE OR TOUCH EYES AFTER HANDLING
*RESEARCH ALL DRUG INTERACTIONS/DOSAGES BEFORE ADDING OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
*IF SKIN IRRITATION OCCURS WASH WITH COLD WATER AND SOAP IMMEDATLY
*IF IRRITATION WORSENS OR CONTINUES CONSULT HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL
*DO NOT CONSUME IF RUE IS ADDED // DO NOT CONSUME PERIOD.
⚡ House Wash / Bath for Cleansing and Uncrossing
- 1 gallon Hot Water
- 3 tablespoons Thieves Vinegar #1 for bath or #3 for home
- Psalms 23 or any protective prayer/words you like
Method for House Wash:
1. Combine ingredients in bucket with preferred house wash or alone.
2. Read prayer/words over the mixture three times to bless it.
3. Wipe down walls, floors in a counterclockwise motion, working from the back of your space to the front.
4. Listen to music you enjoy loudly and open your windows and doors. Let in as much sunlight in as possible at the very least. Have fun and fill the space with your own positivity and hard work.
5. Be proud and say thanks afterwards.
6. Light a preferred incense to help set the tone of your freshly cleansed space.
Method for Bath:
1.Take an intimal shower to sanitize self with normal preferred products. 2.Combine vinegar with water in bath or basin.
3.Read prayer/words over the bath three times.
4.Immerse yourself for 10 minutes at the least while thinking of all negativity leaving your life and positive, protective energy covering you and the actions you can take to help facilitate that.
4a. If in a shower pour the water starting from the top of your body working your way down, thinking about the same. See all unwanted energy flow down the drain with the water.
5. When finished, air dry and dress in clean white clothes if able to. Do this during the time of day you have the most alone time.
6. Thank any spiritual guides, God, Gods, or the universe- anyone you may have for their blessing and protection and try to conserve your energy for the rest of the day.
Sakana, the story of life and love in a fish market, is coming back from its hiatus soon! The strip comic style webcomic began in 2010 and follows Jiro, Taisei, Yuudai, and Chie as they navigate their relationships and learn to face their feelings. We asked creator Mad Rupert, author of Robber Robert and artist of Bunt!, for an interview to celebrate the series return.
Sakana has been your baby for 13 years. What has the webcomic journey been like for you over the past decade?
It really has been over a decade, hasn’t it! There have certainly been ups and downs, periods where I was updating as much as I could, and also long hiatuses. I feel like webcomics have always been an amazing space to practice my craft and stretch my writing and drawing skills alike.
You can kind of do anything you like with webcomics, and oftentimes people come up with wackier, and imho more interesting concepts than if they were beholden to a large publisher. Not that I haven’t made my fair share of traditionally-published comics and graphic novels… but there’s just something so gratifying about coming up with your own wild story and working towards its end on your own time. Webcomics are incredibly tough and time consuming, but also the ultimate form of self expression.
What is the origin of Sakana? What made you want to tell this story?
Sakana actually started as a class project when I was a junior at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I had been accepted into the Sequential Art department’s yearly Japan trip to study comics and cartooning in Tokyo for a few weeks, and our final project was to create 11 comic strips based off of something that made a strong impact on us during the trip.
We had visited the old inner market (now demolished) of the Tsukiji Fish Market at 4am one morning, and it was the most incredible place I’d ever been, so I decided to craft a short story that took place in the market. Beyond the first 11 strips, I decided to continue the story for as long as I could as a way to practice the comic techniques I was learning in class.
That was over a decade and 600 strips ago! It really has become the most ambitious project I’ve ever undertaken.
Do you have the ending already written? Do you see a conclusion in sight?
Yes! I’ve always had something at least resembling an end in mind throughout most of the comic’s lifespan. For a long-format comic like SAKANA, I think it’s very important to have a rough ending planned out as early as possible, otherwise it becomes difficult to keep the narrative moving in a satisfying direction, drop little tidbits of plot that will pay off later, or even maintain your enthusiasm for the project.
To be clear, the details of Sakana's “end” have changed many times, which is only natural with a very long project like this. But I’ve always kept crucial details the same: basically certain characters in a certain place at a certain time doing certain things (to keep from getting too spoilery haha.) HOW they get there, WHY they’re there, and WHAT exactly they’re doing will ebb and flow as the years go by and I myself get older and older. But having a general sense of the end in mind has kept things moving all this time. The story’s got one more volume to go, and then I’ll be done!
Your hiatus is a result of working on a traditionally published graphic novel, coming in 2024. Is there anything you can tell us about your book?
My new graphic novel is called Bunt! and it’s a collaborative effort between myself and my dear pal, Ngozi Ukazu (author of popular webcomic Check, Please!) Ngozi wrote the book and I drew it, and we’re both really proud of what we’ve made! It’s already available for preorder all over the place and it will officially be out in stores in February 2024. We’re really looking forward to getting out there this fall and winter and spreading the word about it!
You recently successfully completed a Kickstarter for an 18+ comic, Robber Robert, as well. What is it like balancing these different narratives, genres, and mediums of publishing comics?
It’s definitely been a struggle at times to balance everything, and I definitely don’t recommend working on 3 giant projects at the same time! I finally had to admit that I couldn’t do it all at once, which led to me putting Sakana and RR on hiatus to finish Bunt!, and then keeping Sakana on hiatus while I finished up RR.
I really burned myself out on comics for a while, and it’s been a huge struggle to get myself back to a good place with my work. Finishing Bunt! and RR Chapter 1 has really helped reenergize me, but I can always feel myself trying to overload my work schedule again and again. It’s my greatest weakness as a professional artist.
What keeps you inspired?
Making something for myself, practicing my craft, and putting my own stories out there are all huge driving forces in my life. Learning to stop overwhelming myself with work has also helped a lot. Looking back on all the art I’ve made and all the different things I’ve tried makes me feel like I can do anything I put my mind to, so long as I give myself the time and space to enjoy the process.
Do you have any webcomic or graphic novel recommendations?
I’m a big fan of anything fantasy or sci-fi, especially if the narrative approaches the fantastical elements in a weird, unique, and kind of gay way haha. My favorite manga is currently Delicious in Dungeon, but I’m also a fan of historical series like Golden Kamuy and Bride’s Story. For webcomics, I love anything by Evan Dahm, like his long-format series Rice Boy and Vattu.
As for Hiveworks comics, there’s too many to list individually but my current favorites are Fairmeadow by KP, and Tiger, Tiger by Petra Nordlund.
Any advice for new readers of Sakana?
I would say…despite its high page count, it’s not that long of a read! The strip format keeps it moving at a pretty quick clip when read all at once (but it certainly didn’t feel like that over the last 13 years updating one page at a time!) I know that the format and the black and white rendering might feel a little dated in the current era of Webtoons and full-color stories, but I’m too stubborn to change now, and I really appreciate anybody giving it a shot!
Also, no matter who you are, or how much you dislike him in the beginning, Yuudai will probably be your favorite character.
You can read Sakana for free at sakana-comic.com and print books are available at hivemill.com
With all the talk about Twitter and social media going on, I felt really inspired to do a comic about RSS feeds. This is a really barebones guide but I hope it helps you stay updated with your favourite webcomics, artists and websites.
The nice thing about RSS feeds is that almost any kind of site has one, so if you wanted you could add user feeds from tumblr, twitter, mastodon, etc. here’s some helpful guides on how to add those (1) (2)
I hope you found this little guide helpful. I’m just a simple guy who’s passionate about RSS feeds, comics and staying updated using both. Go forth and make the feed of your dreams!
Topaz Comics | Topaz Comics RSS | Art Blog | Art Blog RSS
